DocuWare

DocuWare is a document management system (DMS) founded near Munich in 1988 and now part of Ricoh. It digitizes paper-based processes: capturing, finding, approving, and audit-proof archiving documents. The system can be operated either in the cloud or on your own servers.

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A classic use case is invoice processing: incoming invoices arrive via email, are automatically read, go through approval, and are then stored in the archive in compliance with GoBD, including transfer to DATEV or the ERP system. Approximately 17,000 customers use this method.

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d.velop is the main German competitor, offering a similar profile and stronger Microsoft integration. SharePoint with SharePoint Premium is a more affordable option if you already use Microsoft 365, but it's not a full-fledged DMS. DocuWare's drawback: implementation is handled by partners and can quickly run into four- or five-figure costs; it's not something you can simply set up yourself.

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Ideal for mid-sized companies with a high volume of documents and compliance obligations; it's common to start with a single process, usually incoming invoices. For sole proprietorships, the document storage feature of accounting software is sufficient.